Editorials

After more than forty years in the ag-aviation business, it never ceases to amaze me when a new idea becomes a reality. Of the many words that can describe ag-aviation, ingenuity would be one of those words. This month’s cover story, Sliders, is a perfect example. Just when you think...

Sometimes you don’t realize how important somebody is to you, until you lose them. It often takes a few days to understand what has happened. Unfortunately, at least four prominent members of the SEAF associations have passed on in the last 14 months. Eddie Andrews was from a multi-generation ag-pilot/operator...

Today, our industry is fortunate enough to have sophisticated GPS units that can track ag-aircraft in real time using the Internet. However, not all ag-aircraft have upgraded to this very valuable function. There was a time when not all ag-aircraft had a GPS unit, but that’s not true today. I...

The business of aerial application, or even general aviation, can be a dangerous endeavor. There is very little margin for error, which often can be deadly. If we stay in the business long enough, eventually we lose a loved one, friend or associate in a fatal accident. I have lost...

In this month’s edition of AgAir Update, the cover story is about my evaluation flight of Embraer’s redesigned Ipanema EMB203 aircraft. Without hesitation, I can say I enjoyed flying it. The last 20 years of my active career in ag-flying was in a turbine Thrush. Anytime I have the opportunity...

Are you ready for a contestable, detailed dissertation on the per hour costs of running an ag operation? Do you believe it is a function of fuel used and engine time only? When calculating your per hour costs, do you really take into consideration all of your business expenses? In...

I came across a friend of mine a few years ago that I noticed looked different from in the past. I didn’t often see this friend, as he lived hundreds of miles away. What I noticed was one of his fingers was missing. Interesting. I wondered out loud, how did...

The essence of Keep Turning… One day while driving to the office, I saw the 510P Thrush I used to fly turning over the treetops. I looked at the yellow aircraft and wondered aloud how many times have I made the same turn back to the field; time after time...

The normalization of deviance When you have invested a couple hours of your time listening to a speaker, it is always good that you take away with you at least one good item from the speech. Recently, I attended the Kick-Off Breakfast at NAAA’s 50th Anniversary Convention in Long Beach,...

It saddens me to read about the fatality of an ag-pilot. Recently, one died in Brazil that I knew from my visits there, even once visiting this particular pilot. He was not the first ag-pilot I’ve known that has been killed while doing what they loved; flying ag. This year...